She plays and composes her own music with awards in competitions abroad, speaks three foreign languages (English, Italian and French), is an ambassador of the “Ball for All” action and participates in musical activities with well-known artists, as she recently participated in an event with Eleonora Zouganelis in Thessaloniki, where she shocked those present. Loukia Kasamaki is only 11 years old, she lives with her family in Veria and with incredible strength of soul, at this young age, she managed to get out of the isolation of blindness, to conquer her dreams and to be a bright example for everyone.
“No man should stop dreaming. It doesn’t matter if he has a disability or not. We all have something inside us, which if we discover it and bring it out, is what can free us and spread our wings”, points out, with disarming maturity, Loukia Kasamaki, speaking to the Athenian/Macedonian News Agency .
He clarifies that what we have inside “is not enough to find it, but we must cultivate it and bring it out” and adds: “I emphasize this: there is no person who does not have a gift from God. Its uniqueness is also priceless. I don’t feel like I have a problem. As someone told my father when I was born: “If it’s the second incident in the world, then you have a unique, priceless daughter.” That’s what he always tells me, that’s what I say to all the kids: grab the opportunities and use the gifts you’ve been given.”
Loukia, as her father Chrysostomos Kasamakis explains to APE-MPE, “was born on March 5 and we learned that she has total blindness 15 days later. At first the shock was huge, but gradually, with the help of God and the support of many people, we were able to pass from the shock, to the acceptance and education of both herself and the rest of the family. Her first contact with music is at the age of 18 months, at the age of four she participated in a piano music competition in Italy, to which we sent her recorded piece and she was awarded for her performance.
“Sound is to us blind what image is to the sighted”
“Everything has its advantages and disadvantages. But all of us have the power inside us to do something”, underlines Lucia, with the wisdom of an adult. “I don’t believe that there is a person who cannot do things, he just does them in his own way and this is the greatness and uniqueness of each of us, this is what creates the uniqueness in each person. After all, each of us has something to give. A few days ago I played music at an event in Thessaloniki. Eleonora Zouganelis participated in this event and there were quadriplegic children, children with deafness who danced and sang in their own wonderful way. I think each of us can and should pursue our dreams, without being hindered or stopped by any disabilities or anything else. For example, my own dream is to become a psychiatrist and through music, which I love, if I can help people achieve what they want. It’s one of my dreams. I think that the visual disability I have from birth cannot and should not become an obstacle to realizing it”, he explains.
As she says, music for her is something unique, “it’s a way of expression, it’s something that lets you dream, travel, that’s why I love it so much. Sound is to us, the blind, what image is to the sighted. Every note, every sound, is an image for me. I lack nothing, because through music, sound and touch, I can do anything. Maybe yes, I can’t ride a bike, but my brothers have helped me with that too. I have two brothers, Konstantinos and Nikos, who help me a lot in everything and protect me. I love them very much. They’ve also taken me up on the skateboard,” he says with a laugh.
He started learning foreign languages from the age of three
In addition to her great love for music, the 11-year-old primary school student also has a weakness for foreign languages. “I really like to learn and speak foreign languages and little by little I made my dream come true. I speak English, Italian and French very well,” Lucia confides, and her father adds: “the first foreign language she started learning was English, at the age of about three. It started as a game with her grandmother and it was a big surprise when we realized how much she enjoyed it. In the first grade he asked to learn Italian and in the fourth grade, French. Foreign languages and music opened up avenues of communication for her and brought her out of the isolation of blindness. It’s one of her ways to approach and meet new people.”
Her parents are always by her side and there is not a day that they have stopped running or deprived her of something, as she says. “Continuing next to all of us and everything. We are constantly on the run even on weekends, neither we nor they stop. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be able to do what I do. I love them very much. They have deprived me of nothing. I do hip-hop dancing and swimming. I think through dance, through its movements, I relax and get strength to continue the day, while at the same time in the water, the feeling of the water’s buoyancy gives me a feeling of freedom”, says Lucia.
Inclusion for people with disabilities is a constant daily struggle
“Lucia is a gifted blind child and the balances that will have to be kept inside and outside the home are not always easy. Also, inclusion for people with disabilities is neither simple nor a given. It is a constant daily struggle and despite the many steps we have taken as a society, we still have a lot to conquer. People with disabilities have a need for acceptance, inclusion, friendship even when the lights go out and the applause stops”, points out Chrysostomos Kasamakis.
The 11-year-old, referring to her participation as an ambassador in the “Eyes for All” organization, noted that “meeting Mr. Ilias Mastoras and his suggestion that I also participate in his “One Ball for All” campaign was really something very honorable for me. The action gave me the joy of participating in the sport of soccer with the ball that has bells and being able to play and be happy too. Together with Mr. Mastoras, we presented at the French embassy, at an event for the Olympic and Paralympic games in Paris and at the French Institute of Thessaloniki, in the presence of the French consul, the book – fairy tale One ball for everyone. This experience was truly special.”
“Dreams must not stop. Special moments that I experienced were definitely my participation in the UEFA Super Cup in Athens last summer, where I participated in the awarding of medals together with UEFA president Alexander Ceferin”, he notes and adds: “one of my biggest dreams is to study and become a psychiatrist. It is, I think, a wonderful feeling to be able to find ways to help your fellow man and show him that he can achieve things. I also want to move into music, I’m currently composing small pieces, I’d like to be able to write music at some point. I like to travel, I would like to travel to Europe, for now my next trip is planned for the Paris Paralympic Games, with A ball for all. Plans and dreams exist. We all have them, as long as we find the button to activate them. If we find it, they never stop.”
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Tags: #11yearold Loukia miracle child moved Thessaloniki PHOTO
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